Everyone escaped, no one was hurt, but the house on Maplewood will never be the same.

Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer for me -- and it inspired a special ending to this week's blog.  Hope you enjoy.

My new neighbors have yet to officially introduce themselves....but I like them nonetheless. And thank you, Ken Janes, for photographing them!

An email I received this week brought me words of wisdom on my birthday.

Immigration records reveal that Fraulein Lucille Danhauer arrived at Ellis Island from Hanover, Germany in the late 1850s. Young Lucie made her way to New York City where, with husband Wilheim, she started a family. Little did she know then that her first name would be honored and cherished through three subsequent generations -- by my mother, myself and my daughter.

As the John Denver song goes -- yes, it's good to be back home again!

Two Decades of Happy Memories.....

Max and Mr. Wonderful Share a Week to Remember....

The nasty war of words between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump sank deeper into the gutter last week with the photographic posting of Melania in the buff and Heidi looking rough. Since when are potential (or actual) First Ladies targets in a political campaign? Unfortunately, since the ink was drying on the United States Constitution.

Growing up, my keenest memory of Easter Sunday is not about jellybeans or hand-dyed egg hunts. Instead I still picture our family sitting in the back right pew of the Central Valley Methodist Church — four squirming siblings, aged 8 to 11, bookended by parents who tolerated no “hacking around.”